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My Experience of CSA
Submitted by Reech on Thu, 22/01/2009 - 11:20am
After my ex-wife divorced me in 2000, I was unemployed for a long time so the CSA couldn't take anything from me.
I worked part-time and declared it to JobCentre until I eventually got a full-time job in 2005. It took a long time to get the job and I had lots of disappointemnts along the way.
As I had not heard from the CSA for years I did the honest thing and wrote to them. They then took over a year to produce my assessment, meaning an arrears of approximately £1400 accrued.
I eventually commenced payment of £27 per week plus £7 per week for the arrears that had accrued due to the delay.
In March 2007, I unfortunately became unemployed again so I told the CSA immediately and cancelled my weekly Standing Order. I was unemployed for a further 9 months until I secured my current employment. During this period I received various confusing and unclear letters from different CSA offices. Some said I did not have to pay because I was on JSA and others threatened Debt Collection Agency (DCA) action.
About a week after I started working again, I was contacted by IQOR DCA who told me they were instructed to chase CSA arrears. During the period they quoted, I knew I'd either been paying or was on JSA. I wrote out my query/complaint and sent it to IQOR who put my case on hold and sent my complaint to the CSA. I then heard nothing for a whole year!
Meanwhile I notified the CSA of my new job and address (October 2007). They wrote back to me requesting more info which I sent immediately and waited for my new assessment, including a weekly amount for the arrears.
In October 2008 I still had not received my assessment but I did get IQOR DCA threatening me again! This time they said they would take 40% of my wages.
I then complained to my MP who wrote to the Chief Exec of the CSA. My case was referred to a Parliamentary Resolution Commitee and finally 'pulled back' from IQOR. It turned out the CSA had made various mistakes including sending post to wrong addresses.
However, the CSA are currently about to take £300 per month by DEO from my wages because they will not give me a reasonable chance to repay arrears that have only accrued because of their maladministration and incompetence.
My current assessment is only £21 per week but they are demanding an additional £57 per week for arrears! If they take this, I will literally not be able to eat or pay utility bills.
When they mess it up they should accept that they will have to wait for payment of arrears over a reasonable period and not apply DEO's leaving people in poverty.
I honestly don't know how I am going to survive at the moment.
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my experience of the CSA
I know only too well what you are going through and unfortunatly the matter may get even worse if you fail to pay. The good thing for you is that you only have £1400 of arrears. I myself have £9000 of arrears and like you they expect me to pay that back within the 2 yrs time scale as well as paying my maintanence. I also have a new family to support and things are very hard indeed.
What has happened in my case is that i earn £300 a week. The CSA expect me to pay £40 maintanence plus £75 towards arrears every week which totals at £115 but the CSA have also told my employer that I must take home no less than £200 a week. Now this leaves the CSA short of £15 a week. Do you follow me with this???
Now the reason I'm telling you this is becuase the CSA are really starting to push they're luck. The CSA have deliberatly set out the assessment so that i will be short by £15 a week.
Now this is the scary part.
The reason they do this is so they can then file an application to the courts to try and recover the money faster.
I'm currently fighting them at the moment. I have managed to get legal aid and have a solicitor fighting against the CSA for me.
The case was two days ago and a decision could not made because the CSA didnt have the correct papers with them. They seem to be great at messing up.
Thats all i can tell you at this stage but i'm sure your case will be different as you have a smaller amount to repay.
My advice to you is this. No matter how hard things become with the CSA. Keep your chin up and never let these shower of C**ts get you down.
Arrears
My payments ended a couple of years ago and I was making regular payments through DEO, however now they have issued me with a DEO for arrears of over £4000 due to their miscalculation and expecting me to pay over £100 a week. I have explained to them that if these arrears were calculated correctly in the first place then this amount would not be so severe now. I've also been informed that the goverment have given the agency 2 years to clear all debts and therefore they are not prepared to negotiate payments regardless. It is pathetic how you make regular payments and are given payment instructions which you believe are correct by them but due to their old system it did not pick up the arrears until now years after. Short of it all they told me to try to get a loan as I am going to have to pay for it whether I like it all not. How can I stop a DEO?
Hi reech
This behaviour from a government department is really shocking. On our forum we have many, many NRP's in the same situation as yourself.. It beggars belief that they are getting away with this, I think its because most Joe public are unaware. We need to blow the lid off this, the governments dirty little secret..
You have done everything correctly, and been a decent parent why!!!!!
I really wish you all the best with this, if you have any queries please come and join in at the forum. Keep strong x
deo and nrp with MP's help
Hi 11 weeks ago they sent me a demand to clear arrears in 2 years increasing my payments to £360.00 per month from £142.00 . After calls to the agency they agreed to change this to 3 years as 2 years is a guide line not a staute in law as they would have you believe. The get a loan issue was proposed by them when a asked if they were FSA trained to give financial advice that conversation was stopped. I also contacted my MP Dennis Murphy with whos help my DEO came back at £240.00 I can't praise him enough for this he was horified that a government department has been given this power without the publics knoledge. However The letters I recieved from them admit they were wrong to not inform me in good time but nothing about changing amounts till the new DEO started The moral of this is contact your MP.